TOP OF THE ORDER

Zach Helfand ranks the 30 teams. Last week’s ranking in parentheses; statistics are through Friday’s games:

1. ST. LOUIS: Missouri baseball field guide: This is the team that cheats, not the one that fights. (1)

2. KANSAS CITY: Royals probably think Pirates are too close to their ranking and will bust them with a pitch to the ribs. (2)

3. PITTSBURGH: Friday’s pitcher, Gerrit Cole, has as many postseason wins as his Dodgers opponent, Clayton Kershaw. (3)

4. DODGERS: Sorry, Yasiel Puig. The team’s best bat flip belongs to Zack Greinke. (4)

5. N.Y. YANKEES: Joe Girardi made a pitching change on a 1-2 count. This is why Yankees-Red Sox games run five hours. (5)

6. N.Y. METS: Until a week ago, the top 10 Citi Field moments were all Billy Joel concerts. (10)

7. HOUSTON: The Astros missed a chance to pull away while the Angels stumbled. (8)

8. TORONTO: The Blue Jays have lost one game since acquiring Troy Tulowitzki and David Price. (11)

9. CHICAGO CUBS: In his first 25 games, rookie Kyle Schwarber hit .342 with six home runs and 18 RBIs. (12)

10. ANGELS: At this point, it will be an upset if Mike Trout isn’t named MVP. (9)

11. SAN FRANCISCO: No highimpact deadline deals, but the Giants weren’t cheap. They just tried to pay in bitcoin. (6)

12. BALTIMORE: The Orioles are in danger of being left in the Yankees and Blue Jays’ wake. (13)

13. WASHINGTON: The Mets are moving up. The Nationals? Moving out. (7)

14. TEXAS: Unwelcome news for the rest of the American League West: Mike Napoli is back with the Rangers. (15)

15. TAMPA BAY: On Friday, Grady Sizemore hit a home run and robbed an opponent of one. Remember him? (16)

16. MINNESOTA: Those five straight losses didn’t help their postseason chances. (14)

17. ARIZONA: The Diamondbacks keep hanging around but may shut down their young pitchers late. (18)

18. SAN DIEGO: To reach 90 wins, the Padres have to play better than .700 ball from here out. (17)

19. DETROIT: Dave Dombrowski, fired this week, will be a coveted general manager. (21) 20. CHICAGO WHITE SOX: Jose Abreu had 19 RBIs in his first 21 second-half games. (19)

21. SEATTLE: Thanks to a certain goal-line play call in the Super Bowl, the Mariners aren’t Seattle’s biggest letdown. (24)

22. CINCINNATI: Joey Votto has a .641 on-base percentage in 20 games since the All-Star break. (23)

23. CLEVELAND: At the time, acquiring Nick Swisher and Michael Bourn looked savvy. Both were traded this week. (20)

24. ATLANTA: It is indisputably a rebuilding year for the Braves, yet they’re still seven games ahead of two division rivals. (22)

25. BOSTON: Tom Brady has some free time coming up. Maybe he can pitch. (25)

26. OAKLAND: A possum scurried about O.co Coliseum earlier this week. It was the Athletics’ most excitement in ages. (28)

27. MILWAUKEE: The Brewers tweeted a photo of sausage race participants relaxing on a boat. Can tubed meat swim? (26)

28. COLORADO: Nolan Arenado is the only reason to watch the Rockies anymore. (29)

29. MIAMI: The best race in baseball might be for last place. Either way, the National League East loses. (27)

30. PHILADELPHIA: Can Chip Kelly trade away the Phillies? (30)